Stand up

Many of us spend much of our day sitting down. Even if we exercise regularly, the rest of the time that we spend not moving can be bad for us.

Researchers have found that too much sitting is linked to a range of health problems including several diseases and even some types of cancers.

Even when you engage in 2.5 hours per week of physical activity, increasing evidence suggests that what happens in the remaining approximately 108 hours of the waking week is important for your health. Researchers aren’t yet sure how much we can sit during the day without incurring health risks, but findings suggest the more you move, the better it is for you.

Here are five reasons why you shouldn’t sit for prolonged periods, followed by some suggestions about
how you can get more movement into your day.

1. Too much sitting can cause high blood pressure and high blood sugar, and will likely increase your risk for diabetes and cardiovascular disease or heart attack.
2. Even if you exercise, too much sitting can make it hard to lose weight. Studies have shown that people who spend more time watching TV tend to gain more weight over time.
3. In one recent study, employees who sat for longer than six hours daily were more likely to have anxiety or depression.
4. Some cancers, especially those associated with weight and metabolic functions, have been linked to too much sitting or lying down. They include breast, colon and endometrial cancer.
5. One study found that adults who sat for 11 hours or more were 40 percent more likely to die earlier than those who sat for less than four hours.

Tips to sit less and move around more while at work:

• If you have to spend a lot of time at your desk or find yourself sitting for prolonged periods of time try the following tips:
• Regularly get up out of your chair, stretch and do a range of motion exercises.
• Stand while talking on the phone or eating lunch.
• Try a standing desk – or improvise with a high table or counter.
• Walk laps with your colleagues rather than gathering in a conference room for meetings.
• Go for a walk on your lunch break.
• Take the stairs instead of the lift.